HE thought Grand National glory had passed him by, but one ‘nightmare’ ride later and Graham Lee had the victory every jockey dreams of.

Now Lee is just as keen to do it all over again.

This year the Irish jockey will partner Tom George’s Kilbeggan Blade as he bids to land a second John Smith’s Grand National. But Lee still finds it hard to believe he has conquered the world’s greatest steeplechase already.

The 34-year-old rider landed the race in 2004 when he came from the clouds to win by three lengths on the Ginger McCain-trained Amberleigh House.

There were shades of the great Red Rum’s first success when he collared Crisp on the run-in. The victory gave McCain a record-equalling fourth triumph in the race while Lee had conquered the daunting Aintree test on only his second attempt.

Lee recalled: “It was the best day of my career. It was sort of unreal really. I don’t think I’ll really appreciate it until I retire. I look at it now on the telly and I go ‘wow’ I won that one year.

“With the winning jockey usually you see pictures of him with the horse at the stable the next day or at a party. But the next day I was in a car going to Hexham – it was unreal. But it was a fantastic day, brilliant – the best of my career.

“I haven’t got around since then. I would be very keen on winning it again. I would love to win it again.”

Lee, though, felt his chance may have already gone 12 months earlier. With regular jockeys Warren Marston and Tony Dobbin not able to take the ride aboard McCain’s then 11-year-old, Lee stepped in to partner him at Bangor in a warm-up for the Aintree showpiece.

A month later Lee enjoyed a dream ride in his first Grand National, as Amberleigh House ran superbly to finish third 14 lengths behind winner Monty’s Pass. It was a great first taste of the Aintree marathon for Lee, only bettered by first-time winners Ruby Walsh and Niall Madden in the past 20 years. But it was tinged with regret.

He said: “The year before he was third and as far as any race goes, never mind the National, it was the best passage a horse and jockey could have through a race. The ground was perfect. He trained so well, he went to post so well and he finished third. Although it was great to finish third, I was actually quietly gutted because I thought to myself ‘that was the best chance I will have of ever winning the National’ at the time. ”

Wonderfully for him Lee was wrong. Despite being a 12-year-old, Amberleigh House came back to write his name into Aintree folklore. But it wasn’t straightforward.

Lee takes up the story: “The following year he trained really well again and I remember I rode The French Furze in the Martell Hurdle and it was raining, the ground had gone soft and everything was going wrong. I didn’t fancy him.

“Well I fancied him to run well, but to say he would win would be very brave – or stupid. Then I had a nightmare passage down over the first six fences and I came away from Becher’s first time cursing my luck. I thought any chance I had was gone. So I thought I would just hunt away, see what happens. Lo and behold I won. I didn’t think I had a chance of winning until I got to the elbow, which is very late in a four and a half mile race.

“I remember going down to the third, the first ditch and I was behind AP (McCoy). He was in David Johnson’s colours (on co-favourite Jurancon II). I thought I don’t want to be behind you because you have got a rubbish record around here!

“We got out over that and at the very next fence AP went and Amberleigh was in mid-air and he changed his body shape. When I saw AP fall I thought that was it for us. But he changed his body shape so the second he touched the ground he was away and missed him. Then at Becher’s there was a loose horse that walked straight across in front of me and he jumped Becher’s – not from a standstill, but very, very slow. I would safely say eight out of 10 horses would have refused. But the pace was ferocious. They went very, very quick.

“I think the thing that won us the National was me getting beat on him in the Becher Chase by Clan Royal because it was only by a short head. I remember thinking ‘how have I just got beat on him, the way he travelled?’ I came away from the Becher thinking he is what you call a short runner. He had one burst of speed. I would say on four or five occasions from turning in, after the third last, I kept thinking to myself ‘I have got to get closer to these’. Then I thought if I do I am not going to win, so I’ll take a chance and just keep filling him up and that was definitely how we won because I just kept saving and saving, whether I got there or not.

“I would rather have got beat on him by saving his energy, than using him and getting there then getting beat. I would rather have got beat by not getting there. But he was a little superstar.”

With victory in the Becher Chase and that short-head defeat as well as competing in five Nationals and running at his favourite Merseyside track 11 times, the John Halewood-owned Amberleigh House jumped more Aintree fences than any other horse in history – even the triple hero from his stable Red Rum.

Lee just thinks he had all the right attributes for the race and was quick to pay tribute to his old steed.

He said: “He was very intelligent, very clever and brave. I rode him over hurdles at Haydock one day and I came in and told them not to ever ask me to ride him again over hurdles – he was horrendous.

“He scared me. Obviously hurdles were too small for him. He couldn’t work it out, but around Aintree he was brave but he was very, very clever.

“He was a Grade Two winner over two and a half miles in his youth in Ireland and ran in lots of top class races. He had a lot of natural ability but he also stayed very well so I would say there are a few reasons why he was good around there.”

Lee has only ridden one other horse in the National, the Ferdy Murphy-trained Joes Edge two years ago, who was sent off the 8-1 co favourite.

He said: “I was convinced I was going to win it on Joes Edge and my dreams were shattered when we went to parade. When he went to post I thought you can’t win. He did a circuit and did very well to do that, but then I pulled him up.

“He just didn’t go to post great. He was average. He got injured and pulled up lame.”

Lee, who was a childhood Everton fan, always feels at home at Aintree, although he admits his loyalties are now divided as he trains at Middlesbrough with fitness coach and friend Chris Barnes.

Kilbeggan Blade comes into the National following a successful campaign over fences and hurdles with three wins and a second at Warwick recently. But Lee will be looking to use his tried and tested method of going the distance.

He said: “I always like to go middle to outer especially on the first circuit. Just keep it simple and help to minimise the traffic. Plus at Becher’s you are better off jumping it middle to outer definitely. Yet on Joes Edge I never left the paint (on the rail). And going down to Becher’s I thought ‘hello’. But he got out of it.

“It is up to the individual horse on how handy you need to be. But you need the right horse. They have to be clever beasts. It is not the place to be going round on a thick one.”

Lee, though, goes into the race in great shape thanks to all those around him.

The Irishman said: “Barnesy has been absolutely amazing and he has become a real good mate. If you have good people around you, good things will happen to you. I have the best wife in the world, two great kids; Barnesy to look after the fitness side, Ferdy (Murphy) is a great boss and a great agent (Richard Hales). Things are going really well.”